of water on the reef
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 | 11
Cane – Growing a Great Barrier Reef project
• 299 cane growers engaged
in the project.
• 180 cane growers engaged in
one on one extension activities
totalling 3,465 contact hours.
• 106 landholders completed
projects, covering 5,436ha .
• 7 Cane growers involved
in cane innovation projects
associated with automated
irrigation.
BURDEKIN cane grower Anthony Contzonis,
(pictured), joined the Reef Alliance project
in 2017, and has so far improved irrigation
efficiency across more than 50ha of his farm.
He achieved this by installing a Variable Speed Drive (VSD) to
adjust the flow rate of his irrigation, which reduced electricity
costs and excess water use.
“Support from NQ Dry Tropics and government enabled me to
make this change sooner than planned,” he said.
EXTENSION plans, irrigation
scheduling tools and water
alert sensors provided through
the Reef Alliance project
provide growers with valuable
information on matching soil
moisture with crop demand.
This is helping them improve
irrigation efficiency, to reduce
water and nutrient losses, and
increase profitability.
It will also improve water quality
flowing into adjacent wetlands
and the Great Barrier Reef.
“It’s saving me time and money and also helping the
environment – a big win-win.”
IMPROVING WATER QUALITY